21. Night-time flight
Hiccup wasn't as nervous as he thought he would be. Facing another flight with Astrid was what he worried about most, he worried about slipping up and making her realize that he was their Hiccup. But the altercation with Snotlout reminded him one thing, he wasn't their Hiccup anymore. He knew that no matter what happened from that point on, Berk had no control over him or his family. He confidently walked up to Astrid, who was a bit more guarded then before.
"Call Stormfly over and we can start," he said. "I guess you already know what to do, but alas, I need to see your skill myself."
Astrid nodded and called for her dragon, who happily hopped over. She pet the Nadder happily, giving soft words of encouragement and she got on the saddle without prompt. Although Astrid was the best dragon rider in Berk, at the moment she looked very uncomfortable and Hiccup almost laughed at the look on her face.
"Not used to the saddle?" he questioned.
"Not really," she answered, shifting around. "All the flying I did was without one."
"It's better in the long run," he saw that she went still and got on behind her, resting his hands on her stiff waist. He leaned over her shoulder so she could hear him better.
"Take off whenever you're ready, there are some sea stacks near the island, your goal right now is to touch down on them as safely and as fast as you can."
With Astrid's encouragement, Stormfly shot up. Hiccup wasn't ready for that kind of speed so he unconsciously tightened his grip on her waist as he held in a surprised yelp. On the ground Storm giggled knowing full well that Hiccup hadn't expected such a strong take off.
"Help me take off their saddles," she said with a smile, lightly slapping a wide eyed Eret on the shoulder, walking towards Meatlug.
In the air Astrid let out an exited laugh, aiming Stormfly to the sea stacks that the man behind her described. The Nadder made fast work of the distance between the clearing and the sea stack, reaching them in five minutes. Landing was an easy affair and Astrid jumped down as soon as Stormfly touched the ground.
"That was amazing!" she cried, a huge smile adoring her face. "I missed the sky so much! I can't believe I get to fly again." She let out a laugh willed with happiness. Hiccup lifted his helmet, an affectionate smile on his face, he put a hand on Stormfly's nose as Astrid turned to him.
"Yeah, it's amazing. She's amazing," he agreed softly petting the dragon, he sent a soft look in Astrid's direction. "You're amazing."
If he had kept his gaze on Astrid, he would've seen the blush that decided to appear on her face. Her smile didn't falter, but she did decide that the grass was more interesting to look at than the man that stood in front of her.
"So, how did I do?"
"I told you, amazing. You're a natural at this," he complemented.
"You're not just saying that are you?" she asked, her calculating gaze pinning him down. "Because I don't need another guy flirting with me."
It was Hiccup's turn to blush, he knew that his disposition was a bit warmer around the woman, but he hoped she wouldn't notice it. So what if his old feelings came out after seeing her laughing so happily after the successful flight. He let out an awkward chuckle.
"I telling the truth, I can see that you're a proud and capable woman, and lying to you about your skill would just undermine your actual success," he explained. Now both of them stood with flushed faces.
"Oh, good then." She awkwardly said, letting her gaze fall once again. Silence surrounded them, neither knowing what to say, until an idea formed in Hiccup's head.
"How about you show me what you remember from your last time? I would love to see something beyond the basics of flying."
Astrid nodded her head eagerly, the prospect of more flying making her excited and the setting sun would make the view even more breathtaking. She was on Stormfly in seconds, encouraging Hiccup to hurry up and get on. This time he was ready for the fast take off and held on firmly from the start. They gained altitude fast and after a few loops in the air they leveled out, then Astrid asked Stormfly to dive and the dragon accepted the request. She waited until the last second to pull up, a joy filled laugh escaping her, Hiccup's excited cries joining.
The sun had set when Astrid eased Stormfly's flying, guiding the Nadder to fly around Berk, watching the village from a view she feared she could never see again. The village was at ease, bringing forth memories that made her heart ache. Hiccup let out a content sigh, fighting the urge to hug Astrid closer, this flight reminding him of the one they took all those years ago.
"At least there's no nest to ruin the moment," he mumbled to himself. Confusion clouded Astrid's eyes as she barely heard the words that clearly weren't meant for her. 'What does he mean by that?' she couldn't help but think.
"Hey look! A shooting star," his voice disturbed her thought process. He was pointing at the sky above Berk's forest.
"Huh, so it is," she said, not understanding how that was important. A shooting star was something that held more wonder in one's younger years, with all the tales of any wish being granted if you wish upon it. She felt his laugh against her back.
"It's just that, my sister and I used to try to catch it," he said with a happy sigh. "Whenever we saw one, we would race and try to get as close to it as possible. We never succeeded, we know that we never will, but we still do it sometimes."
Astrid let herself smile, imagining those two, truthfully dangerous, people chasing something that could never conceivably be caught. She steered Stormfly back to the direction of the clearing.
After taking the saddles off Meatlug and Barf and helping Eret take off the remaining two, Storm sat down on the ground, knowing that Hiccup's and Astrid's flight would take longer than any of theirs. Eret sat down near her, picking at some grass near him. He didn't let the silence remain.
"I'm not your enemy?" he asked in a small voice, almost like he hoped she wouldn't hear it. His demeanor unnerved Storm, as she knew him to be a prideful and confident person.
"No, you're no longer a dragon trapper."
"But that can't be it," he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration. "How can you just forget every battle we had?"
"I didn't forget," she explained, gripping his hands so she could lower them. "The person I see right now, is someone who risked his life for a tribe he did not know, I see a man who could've disappeared and forgotten about a debt that got him the life he had to leave. I look at you and I see someone who would make a great friend."
Eret looked down at her hands that were still holding his. She noticed that too and quickly removed them, quietly sighing she laid down and observed the sky that was painted in the colors from the setting sun. He was still looking down at his hands, thinking about how, as far as he knew, that was the first time she touched him without meaning him harm, and the first time he hadn't wanted to harm her in return.
Somehow he joined her in starwatching, he had been on the brink of falling asleep when her voice interrupted.
"A shooting star," she said pointing up at the sky.
"Hmm?" he silently questioned.
"My brother and I tried to catch it every time we saw one," she giggled, the noise foreign to his ears. "Sometimes we still try."
Eret hummed in acceptance as they were once again enclosed in silence. That was how the other two found them when they landed. The pair jumped down from Stormfly, amused at the two laying on the ground. Hiccup chuckled to himself, he had thought that Storm would've scared the poor man away at this point. He took off his helmet, ruffling up his squashed hair.
"We should do this again, after you get even better," he smiled at Astrid, hopefully conveying his truthful desire to fly with her again.
"Yeah, we should," she replied, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. At this point Storm was sitting, her bent leg supporting her arm that was lazily holding her helmet. She saw the pair gazing at one another, a smile coming to rest on her face, she let them stare for a few ore moments before speaking.
"There was a shooting star." Her voice startled them, Hiccup rubbed his neck, a nervous habit of his.
"I saw."
"Wish for anything?" Her question made him glance at Astrid, who was removing Stormfly's saddle, the moonlight was illuminating her blonde hair, making it seem like she glowed. Storm followed his gaze and could help it when her smile turned to a knowing smirk.
"Maybe I did," he cheekily answered. "Did you?" He pointedly eyed Eret, who had actually fallen asleep. She looked at the sleeping man then back at Hiccup, her smirk mirroring the one on his face.
"Maybe."
"Is he actually asleep?" Astrid's voice reached them. She had her hands on her hips, looking down at Eret like a disappointed parent.
"I know, right?" Storm asked, Astrid smiled at the woman's exuberated expression.
"Kick him," came the playful voice of Hiccup, making both the women laugh. Astrid took the suggestion to heart and kicked the sleeping man in his shin, much to the amusement of the other two. Eret woke with a shout, and to his surprise found Astrid kicking him. He followed the sound of laughter to the 'dragon demons'
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," he grumbled getting up from the ground. "Time to go?" he asked Astrid.
She nodded, with a goodbye they left the clearing and the snickering of the 'demons' behind. Neither Eret or Astrid talked during the walk back to the village, they both were lost in their own heads. They made their way to the Meade hall for some food and a chance to see the rest of the gang, both wanted to see what transpired with Snotlout and if he had lied to the Chief about what happened.
They reached the hall and got some food first before located their friends at one of the tables. They went over said their greetings and sat down. Snotlout still looked annoyed, Fishlegs was going over his notes from the conversation he had with the, Astrid's dubbed, Dragon boy, and the twins were playing a card game. The late arrivals ate before asking anything, not that they had a chance as the Chief joined their table. All of the activity at the table ceased at the serious expression on Stoick's face.
"After today's mishap, I want to know everything about the training you received from the 'demons'." He barked, leaving no room for arguments.
